My sister Maggie died in the middle of the night. We found out, at about 8 AM.
While Maggie was sick for a very long time, we never had a sense of how long she would live. In the end, she passed suddenly Her nurse, found her, on the bathroom floor, at her breakfast call. Maggie led a special life (in all the good and bad senses of the word). And, I hope that when I recover from this maelstrom of emotion, I will retain the will (and find the strength) to help voters look more closely at the ways that we, as Americans, help and fail to help, those we label insane. But, in the meanwhile, we will be planning Maggie's funeral. Maggie was a wanderer. There is no way to guess who she may have made friends with. Maggie was baptized At St. Francis de Sales and completed all of her education in University City. She worked briefly, in the 1980's, at Ellen's business, Dreamer's Cafe, but mostly she was not employable. She used her time like an endless coffee break. She smoked and gossiped and stirred up fantastic (sometimes surreal) trouble when she was bored. She was the first one to shed a tear for any loss and always ready to celebrate any bit of good fortune. She loved Clark Park and would sometimes hang out there, for literally days at a time. She made friends with the dog walkers and the tree huggers and even those who went there for reasons that weren't always legal. She was an insomniac, so she made friends with folks whose paths rarely crossed mine, or at least not in the 18 years that my children have bound me to a schedule that begins before dawn. When Maggie was young, she was exceptionally beautiful. I imagine there are some people who may have sustained a "crush", despite the ravages of AIDS, on memories of her with sleepy blue eyes, creamy skin and gentle personality. And so, I am putting out this notice, in the hopes that anyone who wants to be included in her Wake, Funeral Mass or Memorial Service will let me know. Also, I plan to scan a photo, from when Maggie looked most fabulous, so if anyone seeks a digital copy, please let me know. Finally, Maggie was a gifted poet. She was always giving away poems. So if anyone wants to share any that they have saved, please send me a copy. We will be creating a scrap book of her words. And so many neighbors have wild and funny stories that I'd like to gather some of them for a book of memories. Please type them up and send using the reply key. Plans are not final, but we, the 9 surviving siblings, will bury Maggie from de Sales. Because 8 of our 12 were female, the family took on a lot of last names. Maggie's death is a blow to Campions, Boyles, Yosts, Krucs, Palmerios, Hoffmans, Veazies, O'Donnells, Devlins, Motykas and Bambas and many others. The lists were a help when Maggie went missing on August 22. And, I hope they are a help again. I hope to let all who were touched by Maggie know that they will be welcome at the Mass, and again when we break bread in her memory. It is almost impossible for me to talk through my tears, so please forgive duplicates, and please just delete extras or if this has no meaning for you. ________________________________________________________________ Get your name as your email address. Includes spam protection, 1GB storage, no ads and more Only $1.99/ month - visit http://www.mysite.com/name today! ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
